


Dreaming, Waking

by Lexigent



Category: Midsummer Night's Dream - Shakespeare
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Teenagers, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-02
Updated: 2018-11-02
Packaged: 2019-08-16 16:02:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,708
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16498673
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lexigent/pseuds/Lexigent
Summary: Teen AU with sci-fi elements. Hel and Hermia are friends, then become something else.Content notes: implied coercion, mental illness, body modification, loss of consciousness.





	Dreaming, Waking

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Solanaceae](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Solanaceae/gifts).



"Come over, Hel!"  
Helena ran to where her friend was calling her - a stream at the end of the path they'd been walking on for the past hour. Soft leaves touched her calves as she made her way to the waterfront, where Hermia was already taking her shoes off and getting ready to put her feet in the water.

Helena giggled, set down her backpack, and joined her friend on the bank. Hermia's feet made a splash and she closed her eyes for a second. "It's so wonderful."  
Helena couldn't wait to free her hot feet from her hiking shoes. She loved these walks with Hermia, but she also relished the rest and quiet time by the stream. She finished peeling off her socks and scooted closer to Hermia, then wriggled her toes in the stream's cool water. Hermia meanwhile was lying on her back, her red gingham dress floating around her knees.

Helena looked at her friend. Her legs were full of scratches, as they always were in summer, and she wore her long curls pinned up on the top of her head. She became conscious of her friend's beauty in a way that she hadn't before. Her friend's body - short, but starting to fill out in all the right places; her lips glistening in the afternoon sun; the dark hair on her skin.

"Your hair is so beautiful", Helena said as she gently put a hand on Hermia's head. _Feels almost real_ , she thought.

The moment passed. "Thanks," Hermia said, then turned her head and sat up. "Food!"

"Good plan," Helena replied and went to work on the backpack. A short time later, they were munching cheese sandwiches and apples. 

Hel was halfway through a cereal bar when the bracelet on her left wrist started beeping and flashing with an orange glow. Hermia groaned. "Already?" Hel sighed. "Afraid so." She took her friend's hand like she had done so many times before and helped her up. "We'll do it again soon, I promise." They embraced. Hel closed her eyes, wanting the moment to last. When she opened them, she was alone. The forest and stream were gone, replaced by four grey walls with the orange gridlines of a sim suite. She ran a hand through her short hair and sighed deeply. It was cathartic to come here, but saying goodbye was never easy.  
"I love you," she said to no one in particular. She turned and held her hand in front of the door sensor. It beeped and the door slid open to let her out into the lobby of the sim centre. She nodded to the woman at the front desk and left. She turned right on the busy street and started walking. 

It was time to see the real Hermia.

***

Lyse's name was on the screen beside the door to Hermia's room. Helena hesitated for a moment. She wasn't sure whe was ready to confront the person who, however unintentionally, had put her friend in this hospital bed. Anger and sadness bubbled up inside her. Yet, it would have to be done at some point. Hermia was still under, as she had been for the past three weeks, but according to her medical professionals she would be well eventually - and Hel wanted to get it over with by then. With resolve, she held the hospital bracelet up to the screen. The door released and Hel slipped in.  
Lyse was sitting beside Hermia's bed, his hand on Hermia's shoulder. He looked up when Hel entered, then quickly cast his eyes down. Hel scoffed.  
"You'll have to look people in the eye eventually, Lyse," Helena said with as much acid in her voice as she could muster. Lyse remained silent and didn't move. Hel grabbed the other chair in the room and sat down on the other side of the bed. She stroked her friend's hair, kissed her forehead, then sat back down and held Hermia's hand between hers.  
"How dare you." Lyse's voice was steely with repressed anger. Hel looked up as slowly as she could and met his eyes. She kept eye contact as she raised Hermia's hand to her lips and kissed her fingertips.  
"That's how," she retorted. "Just like you come here and sit with her like you're not the one who did this."  
"I never meant for this to happen," he said.  
"Oh, so that makes it okay then."  
"Hel - "  
"No. Not here. I'm not figthing you in this room. Go."  
She didn't expect him to react, but to her great astonishment, he did. He nodded, let go of Hermia, and crossed the distance to the door without a word.  
Hel sighed when the door slid shut behind him. The triumph felt hollow, thought.  
"I'm sorry," she whispered into Hermia's fingers.

***

Half an hour later, Hel emerged from Hermia's room to see Lyse on one of the chairs in the hallway. She froze, doorhandle still in her hand.

"You said you weren't going to fight me in there. So I thought this would be better."  
"You're even more of an asshole than I thought you were," Hel spit out.  
"I loved her," Lyse replied. "Love her," he added more quietly.  
And that did it.  
"You convinced her to run away with you because her dad didn't want you two dating, except you didn't know enough about her medical conditions to make sure she'd, you know, survive a trip outside. Or did you know, and just not take it seriously?"  
Hel was furious. She remembered all too clearly how excited Hermia had been about running away with Lyse, and even though Hel hadn't thought that was a good idea, she'd wanted to support her friend. She remembered increasingly worrying text messages, and then that final phone call full of broken sentences and ramblings about snakes and poison flowers.  
"You just wanted to get her far away so you could have sex, didn't you."  
Lyse didn't reply. After a long silence, he raised his head and met her eyes. His gaze was pleading, but she wasn't done with him yet. "Go away and never come near her again. She deserves better."  
"Like Dem?" he asked.  
Hel sighed. "Her dad thought Hermia shouidl be dating him. He's nothing to do with this at all. I don't want to explain that to you. Talk to him if you really need to know."

***  
Hermia woke a week later, weak as a kitten. She felt the effects of the time she'd been out. After the nurses had brought her up to speed on her condition and assured her that she would make a fine recovery, she asked for her bracelet to send Hel a message. A short sim suite walk was about as much as she was up to physically, but Helena reassured her that it would be great to see her, and was there any landscape that she particularly fancied. Hermia just wanted something familiar - the temperate rainforest they'd been using since first grade.

Hel was nervous about seeing Hermia for the first time again. It felt strange to do this again with the real Hermia rather than a sim person. Hel had to remind herself that she'd never actually kissed the real Hermia, never taken her hand _like that_ , never told her how much she meant to her.  
"Have you talked to Lyse since you woke up?" Hel tried to sound as casual as possible.  
"Heck no," Hermia replied with feeling. She trudged through the forest, undergrowth swooshing against her legs. "He can get lost. All boys can get lost."  
Helena blushed and was glad that Hermia was walking in front of her. Now there was something she wanted to dig deeper into.  
They had to rest sooner than they thought - Hermia got tired much faster thatn she had anticipated. They hadn't "made it" to the water yet, so Hel spent a few extra credits on changing the landscape and bringing them there. Hermia beamed. "Thanks," she said as she sat down and dug in the backpack for a sandwich.  
"So if all boys can get lost," Hel asked, trying to make her voice sound matter of fact, "what about girls?"  
Hermia grinned and wiped her mouth, then made a face.  
"Girls are okay," she said. "But everyone with stupid ideas about romance can get lost."  
"And people with good ideas about romance?"  
"They can get lost too. I just... Hel, why can I not just go out with you?"  
Hel inhaled a piece of her sandwich and coughed twice to bring it back up again.  
"You don't mean that."  
"Well..." Hermia turned her head to face Helena and looked down.  
"I know you like me, Hel. I've known for a while. And it's become even more obvious since I - since I was out."  
Helena was too stunned to speak.  
"And out of everyone I know, you're the one I like most, okay? It's just... those things everyone keeps talking about, you know, the butterflies and such? I've never felt that. Not for Lyse, or Dem, or you, or anyone."  
She reached out and took Helena's hand. "But you ae the one person that I care most about and we know everything about each other. You've always been there since we were little. And I - I care about you alot. I just don't know if that's enough."  
"Enough for waht?" asked Helena.  
"For you, " Hermia answered.  
"Can I kiss your hand?" Helena asked.  
"Yes," Hermia replied. Helena took her hand, interlinked their fingers, and kissed Hermia's fingers gently in turn.  
"How did that feel?"  
"Nice. Can I kiss your mouth?"  
Hel beamed, the pulled her friend closer. "Yes. Yes, you definitely can." They manoeuvered themselves into a lying position.  
"That feels good," Hermia said after a while.  
They remained by the stream, slowly exploring the new territory before them. Hel was careful to let Hermia take the lead, not entirely sure why she'd been concerned about not being "enough".  
They cleaned up in the stream afterwards and spent the rest of their allotted sim suite time wrapped around each other, snuggling tightly.

"Boys can get lost," Hel said as she softly stroked her friend's hair.  
"Yes," Hermia murmured, tilted her head back and kissed her.


End file.
